Heavy rain, thunderstorms hit parts of Italy amid power outages, evacuations

Following prolonged heat waves, Italy is now under weather alerts as heavy rain and thunderstorms trigger landslides and flooding, forcing evacuations, according to media reports Friday.

A campsite with 250 tourists was evacuated in the Brembana Valley in the northern Lombardy region due to flash floods on Thursday, public broadcaster Rai News reported.

Meanwhile, the central Tuscany region was hit by 8,000 lightning strikes in two hours, and some 6,000 residents experienced power outages caused by storms.

According to the report, an orange alert was issued at 3 am local time (0100GMT) for central and eastern Liguria, and the first disruptions are already being reported due to heavy rain and downpours.

Authorities have temporarily closed the Aurelia motorway in the Savona area, near the bridge over the Quiliano stream.

Brescia is another northern area hit by heavy rain, as 81 people were evacuated following a landslide that destroyed the bridge over the Val Rabbia stream.

A 2-meter- (6.5-foot-) high mudslide and debris flowed downstream from Malga Bedole, in the Genova Valley, due to the severe weather that hit Trentino.